Why does everyone think Burnham started the war?

So if you use the phrase 'social justice propaganda'*, when you call up 'SJW', to those like me, you're implying you disagree with most or all of those causes.

Ok. I will make one other (but related, to give a basis for contrast) point first.

In Star Trek in the past, there was lots of diversity, which was barely if ever specifically spoken about. What this caused me at least, to get used to the idea of, was that identity ultimately did not matter at all, as far as a person's ability to perform a given set of tasks were concerned; and that the Federation's selection process for ship crews obviously agreed.

So it didn't matter what gender, orientation, skin colour, or even species you were. If you had the ability and did the work, you had a position, and were valued within said position.

The point is, that by placing so much emphasis on the identity of various groups, minority advocacy is actually driving things backwards. It's moving us further away, from an objective, universal meritocracy, and back into the dark ages where purely someone's position within some arbitrary category (having black skin, for example) created an impediment to self-actualisation which not only the individual was unable to get beyond, but for which the collective suffered as well, because they did not benefit from that individual being in his ideal position, and therefore being maximally productive. This is because it is keeping us conscious of the fact that said different groups and divisions exist.

We need to stop putting so much emphasis on arbitrary categories which have nothing to do with people's real, measurable ability; although by measurable ability I do not mean IQ, either, which has a lot of problems and is often used as a rationalisation for eugenics.

If I am going to employ someone, or be employed myself, then I shouldn't have to care whether the person is male or female, black or white, straight, gay, or trans. The only question that should matter, is whether or not they can perform the role; and if they can, then they should do so.

Black Lives Matter and genuine white supremacist groups, are both moving us further away from that future, because their violence on both sides can be used to perpetuate stereotypes. People can claim justification on both sides for pointing at the other group and saying, "See? That's just how they are! They'll never be anything other than animals!"

I am not saying that diversity itself needs to cease to exist. What I am saying is that the attitude within each group which says that every other group can be attacked without restriction, needs to end; and again, that attitude now exists on both sides. Something is only considered a crime, if a member of the other team does it to a member of ours. If a member of our team is violent towards a member of another team however, then we make excuses for them.

That is what contemporary social justice activism is causing; and it is the diametric opposite of what I saw in genuine, pre-Discovery Star Trek.

/r/DaystromInstitute Thread Parent